Now that we’ve gone over the importance of a Wedding Day Timeline and laid out the ideal times for your photography (check out that blog post here if you missed it). Let’s talk about our Top 8 Wedding Tips for ensuring the most stress-free and efficient timeline!

1. Hair/Makeup

First and foremost, we strongly recommend that you give yourself at least a 30-60 minute buffer time for hair & makeup.  If your HMUA estimates that it will take them 1.5hrs to do your hair & makeup. Then recommend scheduling them to start 2-2.5hrs before you need to be finished.

We can not stress this one enough.  In our experience, most weddings that start late are due to hair and makeup running behind (for one reason or another).  So, if you start at least 30-60 minutes earlier the worst that can happen is you’re ready a few minutes early. And now have some extra time to relax (or gives more time for photos!)  It definitely beats the alternative of rushing through (or in some cases even skipping over) the Getting Ready and/or Individual Portraits section of the day in an effort to play catch up on the Timeline.  Or worse yet, being late to your ceremony.  We want you to start your day off relaxed and stress-free!  So give yourself plenty of cushion time in the morning!

2. Gather Details

When your photographer arrives, we will usually begin by photographing your details.  You can help this go smoothly by having all of your details out and gathered in one place.  Have your dress unwrapped and hanging on a nice hanger.  If you want your bridesmaids dresses to be photographed, have them already unwrapped and hanging as well.  Have all details such as your shoes, garters, jewelry, rings, invitations, flowers, vow books, bridesmaids gifts, etc out and ready.  Also, if any of the details are sentimental or have more importance/significance than others, please be sure to let your photographer know.

3. Control The Clutter

Very important wedding tips for your wedding day photography: Try to keep the room free from clutter.  The images will appear cleaner and more elegant this way. And will help to keep the focus right where it should be; on you! Also, we will more than likely be rearranging some furniture to create the cleanest backdrop for your Getting Ready photos, so it helps to keep this quick and simple if space is already emptied of clutter.

4. Consider A First Look

There are so many reasons why we encourage having a First Look (you can find more information on First Looks here).  But, specifically in regards to creating a more efficient Timeline:  a First Look actually allows you to actually extend your wedding day.  Yes, you heard that right.  Normally the wedding day would start when you come down the aisle, then the ceremony would end, you would rush through family formals, take a few couple’s portraits together before rushing off to your Grand Entrance, and then it’s reception time.

With a first look, your wedding day is literally extended by hours!  Instead of being rushed, you now have plenty of time before the ceremony for not only some initial couple’s portraits but also immediate family formals and your wedding party photos… in which you’ll have more time to truly enjoy these photos sessions and have fun hanging out with your best friends on your wedding day.

5. Have People Arrive 10 Minutes Early

When it comes to wedding party photos and family formals (when they’re taken before the ceremony) we encourage you to tell everyone to arrive at the designated area at least 10 minutes early.  This allows for any last-minute touch-ups, extra time for the women to walk in their heels, and the gathering of last-minute stragglers so everyone is there and ready to start on time.

6. Make A List And Enlist A Helper

Family formals can take a decent chunk of time depending on how many groupings you would like and whether you want to limit it to immediate family, extended family, and/or include friends and other guests as well.  Making a list of all groupings in advance and enlisting a friend/family member to help gather everyone is the easiest and most efficient way to get through this section of the day!

7. Buffer Time

One of the most important wedding tips: plan in buffer time.  Any chance you can, buffer time.  5 minutes here, 10 minutes there, having more time is far more desirable than running behind.  For example, if your ceremony is set to run 20 minutes, schedule it in for 30 minutes – that way if there is a delay in getting started, etc. there is plenty of time to work within.

8. Enjoy Your Day

This brings us to the end of our Top Wedding Tips list.  Once you’ve done all you can do – you’ve planned out, scheduled in, and confirmed everything you possibly can for your wedding day to run as smoothly as possible – it’s time to let go and relax.  Your day is going to play out the way that it plays out and there is not much more that you can do about it on the day of.  Trust in the vendors you chose, let the day unfold, and enjoy every second of it.  This day is about celebrating you and your love, the rest is just cherries on top!